After 'nightmare' medical ordeal, grandmother calls for review of Colville Lake's health care

Christian Tobac began to suffer from back pain several daysbefore Christmas.

The young man has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and his grandmother, Laura Tobac, takes care of him. She says she first took him to the primary community care worker in Colville Lake, N.W.T., where he was given painkillers.

But after three days, he had no relief from the pain. Laura said she repeatedly called the nursing station in NormanWells and the Inuvik hospital because she wanted a medevac arranged.

"We were begging the medical services in Inuvik hospital, but they just [said] that he just had a painful backache," said Laura. "They said they couldn't do anything."

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Colville Lake has a primary community care worker that assesses patients, and calls Norman Wells or Fort Good Hope if a medevac is needed. The qualifications for a primary community care worker are not advancedthe completion of Grade 10, standard first aid and CPR/AED certification, and a criminal record check suffice.

Laura was told by the community care worker that amedevacwould not be approved, and that she should drive Christian to Fort Good Hope so a nurse there could assess him.

Intestine twisted

So on Christmas Eve, Laura found two people to drive them to Fort Good Hope. The trip would typically take aboutthree-and-a-half hours, but it took them almost nine hours they had to stop frequently because Christian was in so much pain.

"Thinking about it now, that could have probably lost him on the way to [Fort] Good Hope," Laura said.

The nurse in Fort Good Hope took an X-ray and found the problem was in Christian's abdomen, not his back.

Christian finally got a medevac to Inuvikthe next day, butthere was nothing the medical team therecould do for him.

"They tried but they couldn't do anything. And he was still suffering," said Laura.

He was then medevaced to Yellowknife's Stanton Territorial Hospital, where he couldn't be helped either, so Christian was finally flown to Edmonton.

In Edmonton, a doctor discovered Christian's large intestine had twisted, and he needed surgery.

"It was just the worst nightmare for me," said Laura. "I just stayed up right until the surgery was over, which took about seven and a half hours."

Christian is still recoveringfrom the surgery;he now has a colostomy bag.

"It changed his whole life and it's hard for him to accept it," Laura said.

Colville Lake calls special meeting

Chief Wilbert Kochon drove Christian and Laura halfway to Fort Good Hope. He said having a nurse in Colville Lake could have prevented Christian's ordeal.

"In the fall they had a nurse here for six weeks," Kochonsaid."That was a really good thing."

In light of Christian's experience, on Dec. 29 a special meeting in Fort Good Hope was held where members of theRegional Wellness Council and the community discussed health care in the region.

Sahtu MLA Daniel McNeely was at the meeting. He said concern surrounding the pre-diagnostic process was a central theme.

"People felt that [Christian's problem] should have been better diagnosed as to the symptoms they were passing on to staff at the medical centre."

Laura said she wants an in-person diagnosis.

"They can't guess how much a person is suffering or how much they're in pain through the phone," she said.

There will be another community strategy meeting on Jan. 11, and a meeting with the Sahtu Regional Wellness Council on Jan. 30.

The CBC was unable to arrange an interview with the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authorityregarding the incident.

Got a story? Reach jamie.malbeuf@cbc.ca.